Infographic: Comparing venue sizes in the Twin Cities, 2018

by Jay Gabler
February 02, 2018
In 2013, we created an infographic comparing the sizes of music venues in the Twin Cities. Five years later, a lot is still the same...but a lot has changed. We've lost some venues (the Triple Rock, Cause Spirits & Soundbar), and others have been transformed (Mill City Nights is now Music Hall MPLS, Patrick's Cabaret is now the Hook & Ladder, the Artists' Quarter is now Vieux Carre). Then, of course, there are the new venues (CHS Field, Surly Festival Field, Mortimer's music room, the Warming House) as well as the newly-opened venues (the Armory).
On Sunday, the single most-watched live music performance of any given year is going to happen at what's now our biggest music venue: U.S. Bank Stadium, where Justin Timberlake will play the halftime show at Super Bowl LII. We thought the time was right to update the graphic, and Minneapolis-based designer Kaitlyn Bryan created a whole new look inspired by a graphic equalizer. Shout-outs to our former colleague and forever friend Leah Garaas, who did such an awesome job last time around, and to our current intern Hanna Bubser, who helped research the new numbers.
The fine print: this isn't comprehensive, just an overview of many of the most frequently filled local music venues. Also, the capacities reflect typical concert configurations; numbers may be smaller for sporting events or smaller audience configurations. Speaking of configurations...there are two configurations for this graphic. The horizontal version is above, and here's a vertical one that might be easier to read on your phone.

